Fringe

Before the third season of Fringe aired, Mark and I had the Blockbuster Movie Pass.  This allowed us to have out two movies or games at a time, and we could swap them out as often as we liked.  The best part for Mark was trying out new games without buying them, while I was partial to checking out different television series that we hadn't seen.  With our movie pass, we first watched Glee, consumed Rome, and discovered Fringe.  We watched the first two seasons as quickly as possible to prepare for the third season, which was about to start at the point in time.

After getting all caught up, we started watching the third season of Fringe.  Everything started out okay, but as most shows do, they got caught up in an arc I did not care for.  This led to us dropping Fringe.  I don't usually do well watching shows week to week.  When you add in an arc I didn't care for, as well as limited viewing online, we stopped watching.

Recently, we decided to give it another go.  The third season of Fringe, of which we had seen the first six episodes, was only $19.99 on Blu-ray at Best Buy.  I snapped it up.  It took a week or so before we decided to dive in again, but I'm glad we did.  Fringe continues to be an excellent show; I just can't watch it week to week.

It doesn't feel as if there is a great deal of good science fiction television, especially on the networks.  Now, at this point, I'm sure someone will point out multiple shows that I'm not thinking of.  Goody fa fa for you.  Regardless, if you appreciate science fiction, you should give Fringe a go.  The show plays with different scientific ideas and handles it well.

Part of Fringe's success is due to the cast and the wonderful characters they get to play.  It seems that most of the actors from the Wire go on to find other great shows, and Lance Reddick, who played Daniels on the Wire, finds a good home in Fringe.  If any of you were Mighty Duck fans*, you can get to know Joshua Jackson again.  As for me, a big part of why I'm tuning in is John Nobles as Walter Bishop.  He's essentially a mad scientist.  What's not to love?

Some shows will land a good cast and not use them properly.  Fringe, on the other hand, gives the actors something to work with.  Characters grow and change.  Story arcs have long ranging effects, and the characters appropriately change to reflect them.

As intricate as the series has grown, they still focus on small details.  Since I'm trying not to give anything away, I can't talk about some of the little things the show-makers do to really make the world of Fringe seem real.  What I can tell you is that I really want to go back and re-watch the entire series so I can catch all the little things I've missed.

Watching the first two seasons and then taking an almost two year break before getting back into Fringe was a bad idea.  There are certain bits of information I don't remember, but Mark and I are muddling through it together.  We're up to episode seventeen of season three, and we're loving it.  The show is excellent and deserves at least to be checked out.  We will still need to catch up on season four before season five premiers next fall.  Season five is scheduled to be the final season, and it will only be a half season at that.  I do appreciate that they will be able to close out, as opposed to just ending.  If you're looking for a show to watch this summer, check out Fringe.  It's a lot of fun.

*Or Dawson's Creek